If you are tired of Windows Command Prompt interface style, always the same black background and white font, you should know that there is a pretty darn easy way to customize it. In fact, the process is easy and it hasn’t changed for a long time, so you can even use the configuration steps in previous version of Microsoft Windows as well.
Keep reading to learn how is done.
- First go to Start
and type cmd in the search box. - In the search result, right-click cmd and select Run as Administrator.
- Then in the title bar make a right-click and select Properties.
4. The Command Prompt properties will open, here you have a variety of customizations, we are going to focusing on Font, Layout, and Colors.
5. First go to the Font tab, choose font size and style — it is pretty limited, but is going to be different of what you had before –, and as you change settings you will be able to see the live preview on the left.
6. When you are done customizing the fonts, go to the Layout tab, in there you will be able to change Window Position, Window Size, and Screen Buffer Size; this last setting is to specify the size of how much history you are going to be able to scroll down to see previous information of the CMD screen.
7. And last, the Colors tab; here you will be able to change the colors of the Screen Text, Screen Background, Popup Text, or Popup Background, you can either select from the pre-define colors or use the Red, Green, and Blue color values. As you change settings, you will see a preview in the bottom. Play around until you get the configuration desired and click OK.
For example, here is the settings that I use in my Windows Command Prompt (same as the picture above):
- Font: Lucida Console and sizes 12.
- Layout: Screen Buffer Size and Window Size at Width of 141 and Height of 37.
- Colors: Screen Text: Blue, Screen Background: White, Popup Text: Purple, and Popup Background: White.
Bonus: Go to the Options tab, under Edit Options select the QuickEdit Mode, in a normal CMD copy and paste operation you need to right-click select Mark, select your text — now it is placed into the clipboard–, then to paste the clipboard content, you need to right-click again and select Paste, this is a lot for something so simple, but with the QuickEdit Mode it gets easier. Now, you just need to select the text and that is it; to paste it just right-click and the text will appear (you can use Ctrl + V only outside of the CMDscreen).
Note: When you are customizing the Command Prompt interface, the new settings will be saved just for that link. If you, for example, create a Command Prompt shortcut to the Windows desktop, the Command Prompt will open as black and white again.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].